Shucking an External ODD

[newmy51]

Hello d9f,

In looking around for external 5.25" enclosures in which to put my Pioneer BDR-208 (on account of my new Fractal Node 804 case having no 5.25" bay), I have found (not for the first time) that the cost of such units is ridiculous for what they are, given the simplicity of the device, and the age of the technology (See VANTEC NexStar DX2). By contrast, there are a plethora of external optical drives out there which can be had for $10-$20 on fleabay, with or without cords, in working or non-working condition. My question is whether units like the LG GE24 line can be "shucked," as in have their drives swapped out for different ones, and specifically my BDR-208. Doing so would save me around $50-$60, but I have no firsthand experience with what the insides of these LG GE24 or similar units look like.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

-newmy51

[Emulgator]

I have done that with some enclosures 5 1/4" and 3/8", one of them Plextor.
It is different with every maker. Some years ago it was all snaps, but you could still open these.
The latest ones may be ultrasonic welded and hard to open.
5 1/4" drives can have different depths, and the enclosure only allowing a shorter drive.
Judging from the product photos it may well be that swapping a LG GE24 has been intentionally hampered.
You will have to find out yourself by opening and checking the mechanical and electrical (PSU/SATA/eSATA) requirements.

[StainlessS]

This could well be a 'bum steer', but IIRC from some MakeMKV forum thread,
some ODD (Optical Disk Drive) enclosures may not be compatible with LibreDrive firmware,
dont know why that might be other than if interface somehow blocks some communication protocols
between OS [EDIT: MakeMKV] and physical ODD inside the enclosure.

the cost of such units is ridiculous for what they are
Yep, for my LG WH14NS40 BD drive, I bought the OWC Mercury Pro 5.25" Optical Drive External Enclosure @ £67.64 on amazon.co.uk, defo overpriced
but is very robust and I guess that I eventually decided that I liked the buy. [EDIT: BD device may one day be dumped, but never the enclosure]
Perhaps you could make your own enclosure [EDIT: or even do without one] buying something like this,

UNITEK SATA to USB 3.0, USB to SATA Adapter Hard Drive Converter Cable for 2.5 3.5 Inch HDD/SSD Hard Drive Disk and SATA Optical Drive with 12V/2A Power Adapter, Support UASP
https://www.amazon.co.uk/UNITEK-Adapter-Converter-Optical-Support/dp/B06WWLCYC3
Above is not a recommendation for that device, only an example.
[EDIT: Perhaps you even have similar one laying around, I do]

EDIT: From one of the reviews for above device,
issac ganee
5.0 out of 5 stars Very handy!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2023
Verified Purchase
If you tinker with PCs this is a must to transfer data from drives, saves having to open up your PC every time, plus it has legacy ports as well. When it's not in use with hard drives I have my blue Ray burner hooked up to it as my PC doesn't even have a bay for optical drives.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61jfsUw1vFL._AC_SS450_.jpg

EDIT:
My LG Electronics 14x SATA Blu-ray Internal Rewriter without Software, Black (WH14NS40):- https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007VPGL5U
When LibreDrive firmware updated, is UHD friendly. (WH16NS40 is now both faster and cheaper on amazon)

OWC Mercury Pro 5.25" Optical Drive External Enclosure (NO Drive)[£67.64]:- https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XRCCV44?psc=1
The "UNITEK SATA to USB 3.0, USB to SATA Adapter" linked, turns out to be the same device that I have lying around, except that
the one I have was about £1.00 more expensive and seems to be an older model.